Revolutionising the Blogosphere (Life in Belgium; Blogging; Relationships; the United Nations; Writing; Nato; Technology) One Entry at a Time

"Think of these three things: whence you came, where you are going, and to whom you must account"--Benjamin Franklin

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Wednesday, August 30, 2006

We Focus So Much on Success That...

...we forget that failure is most-oftentimes good for the soul, and being silly helps you relax!

I came across a post by my one of blogger-friends-cum-established UK actor Daniel Hoffman Gill. His latest entry is a reflective, comtemplative one, with him worrying about what will be left of him when he gets old, as well as some reminiscing of his past.

Well, we all have a past--some good, some bad.

In my view we just have to try and be philosophical about these things; perhaps go the Andre Malraux --that French adventurer and author who fought in the 1936 Spanish Civil War--way, which states that:

A man is the sum of his actions: of what he has done, of what he can do [Nothing more]

Let's just say that in 1995, I was in a really bad way in the sense that I had gotten complacent about my studies, feeling I would, by hook or by crook, enter translation school.

I was wrong. Though I got very high grades for French A-Level, my English LIterature; History; and Computing A/S were nothing to write home about. I had done quite well in my mock exams earlier in the summer, so feeling that I would sail through (forgetting my coursework was not so great), I ended up with some monumental egg on my face.

For one good year, I was home, waiting for an uncertain fate. During that time, I read a bit about the Middle East, cried when Yitzak Rabin was assassinated in November 1995.

Upon reflection, wasn't sure whether I was crying so much for him as for myself. (I was 17!)

I was down, down, down. I had known the value of positive thinking, but I over-assumed its utility, and there were many days spent crying and reflecting, wondering what my future would be.

It was only in August 1996 when, thanks to family friends and some encouragement , and tough love, from parents that I bounced back.

Since then, I've been bouncing back on many things. But, for sure, I have known failure, and I do think failure and disappointment is great for the soul, because when you leave it, the world becomes so better a place.

My story may be peanuts compared to someone like Daniel's, but what I can say is that let's wallow when we need to, and bounce back more than we wallow.

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